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Housing Benefit (Winchester)
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people are currently claiming housing benefit in Winchester (a) under the age of 25 years and (b) in total; and if she will make a statement. [1288]
Mr. Keith Bradley: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table:
| May 1995 | November 1996 | |
|---|---|---|
| All ages: Winchester City Council area(20) | 5,300 | 5,100 |
| All ages: Rest of South-east region (excludes Greater London but includes Winchester)(20) | 650,000 | 647,400 |
| Aged under 25 years: Rest of South-east region (excludes Greater London but includes Winchester)(21) | 67,000 | Not available |
Source:
Housing Benefit Management Information System.
(20) 100 per cent. quarterly caseload counts--these do not provide age breakdown of Housing Benefit recipients.
(21) The annual 1 per cent. caseload sample--last available date from May 1995 (May 1996 date not yet available).
Notes:
1. Reliable estimates of the number of recipients aged under 25 are not available below regional level.
2. Recipients may be a single person or a couple.
23 Jun 1997 : Column: 415
Widowers (Child Care)
Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to provide widowers looking after children with the same benefits as widows. [2382]
Mr. Denham: Modernising the Social Security system is a key priority of the Government. In our examination of the current Social Security structure, we will take account of the needs and responsibilities of the bereaved in pursuit of our aim of reducing poverty and welfare dependency, promoting work incentives and providing better, simpler more efficient services to clients.
Incapacity Benefit
Mrs. Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will restore an element of local discretion on decisions relating to the award of incapacity benefits. [2173]
Mr. Denham: Modernising the Social Security system is a key priority of the Government. Our objective is to reduce poverty and welfare dependency and to promote work incentives. We will develop a system that supports work, savings and honesty. We will streamline services to provide better, simpler, more efficient services to clients.
As part of this aim we will be seeking to ensure that decisions relating to the award of incapacity benefits provide a fair assessment of a person's incapacity for work for benefit purposes.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants appealed against refusal by the Benefits Agency to allow incapacity benefit in 1996-97; what was that number as a percentage of the total number of claims refused; and what percentage of appeals were successful. [3759]
Mr. Denham:
One of the Government's first priorities for social security is to modernise both the appeals system and the decision making process. We intend to bring forward measures early to streamline and simplify the system to make it easier to understand and more cost effective.
The specific information requested on incapacity benefit appeals is in the table:
| Period | Number of incapacity benefit appeals against disallowance | Appeals as a proportion of claims disallowed | Percentage of appeals heard and decided in the claimant's favour |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 1996 to March 1997 | 100,703 | 50 per cent. | 44 |
Source:
Benefits Agency and Independent Tribunal Service.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what reforms she plans to the Child Support Agency; and if she will make a statement. [2474]
23 Jun 1997 : Column: 416
Mr. Keith Bradley:
We will be looking closely at all areas of the Child Support Agency's operations over the coming months to ensure it provides an efficient and effective service to assess and collect maintenance that is due.
Mr. Alan Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is her estimate of revenue expenditure and savings, broken down by (i) income tax, (ii) national insurance and (iii) means tested benefits, arising from the introduction of a national minimum wage at (a) £3.50 per hour and (b) £4.20 per hour, accompanied by a reduction in housing benefit and family credit tapers to 50 per cent. and replacing the current 20 tax band with 10p. [2969]
Mr. Field:
We will ask the independent Low Pay Commission, before it reaches a recommendation on the level at which the national minimum wage might be set, to take into account all the economic circumstances, including its likely impact. We will not speculate about the possible effects of hypothetical levels before the Commission has had a chance to consider the issues.
Dr. Fox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of spouses of British citizens admitted under the Immigration Rules obtained social security benefits in each of the three most recent years for which figures are available; and what was the cost of such benefits in each year. [2867]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
Spouses of British citizens admitted to the United Kingdom under the Immigration Rules are required to demonstrate they can be supported and accommodated without claiming public funds.
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to make the earnings limit for carers on income support equivalent to the earnings limit for invalid care allowance; and if she will make a statement. [2868]
Mr. Denham:
There is no fixed limit to the amount a carer can earn and continue to receive income support. Carers are exempt from the normal income support remunerative work rule. This means that they can continue to receive income support to top-up their earnings even if they work more than 16 hours each week. The first £15 of a carer's earnings is disregarded in the income support calculation. Most other groups can earn only £5 before their benefit is affected.
The invalid care allowance (ICA) earnings limit is fixed at £50 per week, after the deduction of certain expenses. It is intended to help carers keep contact with employment. However, unlike income support, ICA is not an income-related benefit. People with earnings below the earnings limit can get ICA in full but people whose earnings are above the limit cannot get ICA at all.
We have no plans to change these limits at present but are keeping the position of carers under review.
23 Jun 1997 : Column: 417
Ms Kelly:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lone parents there are in the constituency of Bolton, West; and of these how many are not in work or training. [3056]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
There are no reliable estimates of the number of lone parents by constituency. As a broad indication of the number of lone parents not in work it is estimated that, in November 1995, there were 5,000 lone parents claiming income support in the metropolitan district of Bolton, which encompasses a larger area than Bolton, West.
Our welfare-to-work programme will help get young unemployed people, long-term unemployed people and lone mothers off benefit and into work.
Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to review the additional 25 pence a week paid to pensioners over 80 years of age. [3147]
Mr. Denham:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Cryer), on 10 June, Official Report, column 431.
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what targets she has set the Benefits Agency to increase the level of take-up of benefits to which claimants are entitled for each type of benefit administered. [3217]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
Our priority is to get help to around 1 million pensioners not taking up their income support entitlement. We are determined to address this issue, and we are currently commissioning research to establish why they do not claim the benefit which is their due.
Professor Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many individuals lived in benefit units receiving at least one means-tested benefit (a) in 1978-79 and (b) in the latest year for which figures are available; and if she will break down this total according to the combinations of benefits received. [4306]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
We are committed to looking closely at all aspects of the welfare state to reduce the levels of poverty and welfare dependency.
Information for 1993-94 and for 1979 has been published in table B4 of Households Below Average Income (HBAI): 1979 to 1993-94, a copy of which is in the Library. No information is available for 1978. Information for 1979 is restricted to that published in HBAI.
23 Jun 1997 : Column: 418
Notes:
1. Caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
2. Income Support figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
Source:
Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, November 1995 (5 per cent. sample).
| Combination of benefit | Total beneficiaries |
|---|---|
| Family credit or disability working allowance only | 1,230,000 |
| Income support only | 2,370,000 |
| Family credit or disability working allowance and income support | 20,000 |
| Housing benefit and/or council tax benefit only | 3,190,000 |
| Housing benefit and/or council tax benefit, and family credit or disability working allowance | 780,000 |
| Housing benefit and/or council tax benefit, and income support | 7,230,000 |
| Housing benefit and/or council tax benefit and family credit or disability working allowance and income support | 80,000 |
| All beneficiaries of means tested benefits | 14,900,000 |
Notes:
1. Mean tested benefits are defined as income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit, family credit and disability working allowance.
2. Beneficiaries are defined as the recipient, their partner and their dependants.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten thousand.
4. Income support figures include people in residential care/nursing homes.
Sources:
1. Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry May 1995.
2. Family credit 5 per cent. sample of awards.
3. Disability working allowance 100 per cent. count of claims.
4. Housing benefit management information system, annual 1 per cent. sample enquiries, with and without income support taken at the end of May 1995.
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